Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Honest. Quirky. Real. Practical tips, candid reviews, and stereotype-smashing humor for homeschooling families.

Honest. Quirky. Real. Practical tips, candid reviews, and stereotype-smashing humor for homeschooling families.

Using Mini-offices in Your Homeschool

By Kris Bales

When my kids were little, mini-offices were all the rage in homeschools and classrooms. A while back, I referred to them in a blog post and was surprised to learn that there are people who have never heard of a mini-office.

I’m not going to lie. It made me feel a little old.

So, I decided that I needed to fix that. I mean, people not knowing about mini-offices. I don’t think there’s much I can do about getting old.

Using Mini-offices in Your Homeschool

What Are Mini-Offices?

Mini-offices are really similar to anchor charts that are all the rage now (with the hip young parents – I didn’t know what they were until last week). A mini-office is two or more file folders glued or stapled together and filled with helpful tips, reference charts, and resources for students.

A mini-office helps a student focus on the task at hand, and the resources inside allow him to work more independently than he might otherwise be able to on his own. He’s got a quick reference for things like the spelling of common words or place value.

Old-school mini-offices are also beneficial to homeschooled kids who often school at the dining room table with several siblings. Because the file folders stand up, they give students some personal space and limit the distraction siblings may cause.

How to Create a Mini-Office

I based the original mini-offices that I created for Josh and Megan on the writing center Brianna used. All you need to create a mini-office is:

  • two or more file folders (I like using the brightly colored ones)
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Printables
homeschool mini-offices

First, lay the two folders flat so that the right side of the first folder overlaps the left side of the second, creating three sections. Glue the overlapped sections together. (You can also staple them or use packing tape.)

The two overlapped parts form the middle of the mini-office. You may need to trim the file folder tabs so that the office will close flat.

homeschool mini-offices

Next, cut out a variety of charts, tables, and resources for whatever your kids are working on. My kids had a writing mini-office and a math mini-office.

Types of Mini-Offices

When the kids were younger, one of my big goals was to avoid invented spelling in their writing. No, there’s nothing inherently wrong with invented spelling, but because Josh has dyslexia, when he was little it was easy to get a misspelling stuck in his head.

So, their writing mini-office had a word wall and other spelling resources, along with writing resources such as a 5W’s hand so that they could remember to include who, what, where, when, and why.

writing mini-office

A math mini-office might consist of:

  • a 100 number chart
  • a multiplication or addition table
  • ordinal numbers
  • colors
  • months and days
  • coin values
  • shapes
math mini-office

It might also include a map of the United States just because I thought it was nifty.

Mini-offices aren’t necessarily just for young children either. An older student might appreciate a file folder with reference tools such as:

  • mathematical order of operations
  • formulas for finding an area, perimeter, or slope
  • Periodic Table of Elements
  • Classification chart
  • Strong verbs

Math Mini-Office Resources

Look for resources for your mini-offices wherever you find your favorite printables, such as Teachers Pay Teachers or Mama’s Learning Corner.

writing mini-office

Two great sites for mini-office printables are Teaching Heart (warning: the site is old school – it’s my original spot for printables) and Jessica Meacham’s Mini Offices (also an original, but the site has been updated).

math mini-office

For specific printables that I used, other than Teaching Heart and Jessica Meacham, check out these resources:

Using Mini-offices in Your Homeschool

Come on, y’all. Bring back mini-offices! I hope your kids love them as much as mine did. The mini-offices are something that Josh and Megan both remember.

Have you ever used mini-offices before? If so, are you old like me? {grin}

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Generation Genius: Engaging Science Lessons for Grades 3-5

By Kris Bales

If you’re looking for an engaging, fun, hands-on way to supplement your upper elementary science lessons or a fantastic spine for building on, you have got to check out Generation Genius.

These elementary-level science videos featuring Dr. Jeff Vinokur, The Dancing Scientist, will capture your kids’ attention and make learning fun.

Generation Genius: Engaging Science Lessons for Grades 3-5

What Is Generation Genius?

Generation Genius is a subscription video streaming service that focuses on science topics for kids in grades 3-5 and presents them in an engaging, easy-to-understand way. And, the videos aren’t just entertaining for kids. While there is plenty of kid-friendly silliness the may elicit some eye-rolling from parents, the topics and their presentation are interesting for all ages.

I sat and watched three videos in a row with no kids anywhere in sight. (Yes, I learned stuff.)

Generation Genius: Engaging Science Lessons for Grades 3-5

Each video is about 12 minutes long and focuses on a specific topic such as:

  • Chemical and physical changes
  • Variation of traits
  • The moon and its phases
  • Animal and plant life cycles
  • The structure of living things
  • Food webs
  • The sun and other stars

In fact, the Generation Genius videos cover all of the Next Generation Science Standards. I know a lot of homeschooling families won’t necessarily care about that statistic, but I wanted to include it because it tells me that if you’re covering a topic in your science lessons, there’s probably a Generation Genius lesson to go with it.

And, I say “lesson” rather than “video” because Generation Genius is much more than just a collection of videos.

Generation Genius Review

Science Lessons for Grades 3-5

Each Generation Genius video lesson introduces a concept then explains it through related demonstrations. The demonstration is followed by a real-world segment which relates the lesson’s concept to real-world applications and a DIY segment which is a related hands-on activity that kids can do at home.

Generation Genius Review

Each video also includes lesson materials for the video’s topic. Lesson materials include:

  • An overview of learning objectives
  • Discussion questions
  • Vocabulary
  • DIY activity guide
  • Lesson plan
  • Teacher guide
  • Quiz (not available in individual subscription)

Generation Genius is secular so Christian families may wish to preview the videos to identify talking points or determine suitability for your children.

Generation Genius Review

How to Use Generation Genius

The Generation Genius site states that it is intended to be a supplemental resource for teaching science. It would be fantastic for viewing videos (and doing the activities) on topics as they come up in your science lessons.

Generation Genius will also make a useful resource for families who are a bit more eclectic and interest-led because the videos, lesson plans, and activities create a fantastic jumping-off point for further research and discussion.

Generation Genius: Engaging Science Lessons for Grades 3-5

If you’ve got kids in grades 3-5, check out Generation Genius! There is a sample video lesson on the homepage so you can watch the video and view all the lesson materials that go with it. Currently, there are 36 video lessons in total – enough for the whole school year!

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Reading Escapades Unit Studies

By Kris Bales

Way back in the ancient days, when we began homeschooling, I was a unit-study-loving homeschooling mama. Our first curriculum was unit-study-based. We used it for about six months; then, I started writing my own unit studies. I had a Yahoo group and everything. Yeah, it was that long ago.

I enjoyed writing the studies but looking back I can only imagine how much more time I could have invested playing with my kids and learning alongside them if I’d just purchased some quality, ready-made unit studies. My kids would have loved the unit studies from Reading Escapades and Math Explorers.

Reading Escapades Unit Studies Review

About Unit Studies from Reading Escapades and Math Explorers

These fun and affordable unit studies are written by Christine Allen, Youth Success Coach and founder of the tutoring service Reading Escapades and Math Explorers. Although most of the studies are geared toward elementary students, there are titles suitable for older kids, such as the Comma Rules and Usage Packet and the How to Read a Book Study Guide.

The majority of the studies are $8 to $10, with a few of the more complex guides priced $12 to $20. With these engaging unit studies, you and your students can explore topics such as:

  • Ocean life
  • Reptiles
  • Community helpers
  • Inventors
  • Flowers
  • Holidays
  • Tall Tales
  • Symphony
Reading Escapades Unit Studies

There are also book discussions for popular books such as:

  • Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
  • The Star Wars Jedi Quest series (Josh and I used to love those!)
  • The Magic Tree House: Day of the Dragon King by Mary Pope Osborne

What to Expect

The unit studies weave in a variety of subjects as related to each topic along with engaging hands-on activities with most using everyday household items. Subjects include:

  • Reading
  • Writing (Creative and handwriting)
  • Vocabulary
  • Math
  • Science
  • History/Geography
Reading Escapades Unit Studies

Each unit includes:

  • Book list with suggested but not required books – This is perfect for families with limited library access since you can use the books you have available.
  • Master supply list – This makes it easy to ensure you have everything you need before getting started.
  • Master activity list broken down by subject
  • Focus words with related activities
  • Hands-on activities for creative play, math, science, history, and geography

How to Use the Reading Escapades Unit Studies

Back when I wrote my own unit studies, I usually did so because I couldn’t find a ready-made study that fit our family’s needs. What I loved about the Reading Escapades unit studies is that they’re written as a framework. They provide a guide for exploring the topic with your child, but they’re not scripted or so detailed that you can’t make the unit study your own.

Reading Escapades Unit Studies

They include fun, educational, doable hands-on activities that don’t require a ton of prep work. I loved the fact that Christine made adjustments to the ocean levels activity in A Fishy Tale so that families aren’t needlessly wasting materials. The activities have a purpose and aren’t artsy-craftsy time-fillers.

With these unit studies, you can use the master supply list to make sure you have what you need for the activities; check out the book suggestions, adding your own if you like; and use the mater activity list to break down the unit, covering a little from each area every day.

They are available as a PDF download, so you’ll have immediate access to the studies when you purchase them. Right now, you can download the Star Wars and Space Unit Study for free to see what you think. WUHS can also save 20% on their unit study purchases now through August 31, 2018, using coupon code wuhs20.

Whether you’re looking for some fun, educational activities to fill the last few weeks of summer or an engaging way to kick off your school year, check out the Reading Escapades unit studies!

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Easy Spanish Lessons for the Whole Family

By Kris Bales

A couple of weeks ago, Josh told me that he liked all the meals I’d fixed for supper the previous week. No, it wasn’t because I’m such a fantastic cook. He liked them because they made easy leftover meals for taking to work.

I still took it as the compliment it was though because all the meals were also simple to prepare and stuff that the whole family likes to eat.

Easy and effective. Those are my kind of meals.

Flip Flop Spanish review

I like easy and effective in my homeschool curriculum, too. Pick-up-and-go curriculum that my kids enjoy, that works well for them, and requires little prep work for me is the very best kind. That’s why I’ve been so happy with the Flip Flop Spanish curriculum.

What Is Flip Flop Spanish Curriculum?

Flip Flop Spanish is an easy-to-use, two-year Spanish curriculum designed for the whole family to learn together, from your preschooler to your high schooler – and you.

It comes with everything you need to start using it right out of the box. The only things you’ll need to add are a binder and a few index cards.

I also had some acrylic playing card storage boxes that I found extremely handy, but a couple of rubber bands or plastic sandwich bags would work just as well.

Elementary Homeschool Spanish

When you open the box, you’ll find:

  • The curriculum manual, 3-hole punched and ready to go into a binder with a front and back cover and spine insert
  • 3 sets of flashcards
  • 4 audio CD’s containing all the lessons
  • A dry erase paddle and marker for practice and games
  • Card-holder notebook pages for sentence-building

It is a homeschool curriculum/organizer junkie’s dream. I mean, seriously? Two full years of curriculum and (almost) everything you need to do it fits in one binder? What’s not to love about that?

(The only things that don’t fit in the binder are the flashcards. However, if you store them in a 3-hole-punched pencil pouch, you could store them in the binder, too.)

How Do You Use Flip Flop Spanish?

Flip Flop Spanish is so easy to use. I started by going through a lesson by myself to see how it worked. Then, I had Megan go through the lesson on her own. She finished and said, “That’s it?”

Yes, that’s it. The lessons are simple, interactive, and short – perfect for all ages. Each lesson is designed to take a week to complete, going through the same lesson at least three times before moving to the next. On the third time through, you don’t use the CD but interact with your student face-to-face.

Homeschool Spanish for High School

If you’re learning with only an older student, you can do two lessons at a time. Older kids and adults could do the lessons entirely independently (though it’s beneficial to have a practice buddy) using the curriculum guide and CD lessons. It’s recommended to spend at least three days a week on Spanish lessons.

The CDs feature a different track for each section of the lessons, which makes it simple to stop for younger kids with shorter attention spans and pick up where you left off.

What Does a Flip Flop Spanish Lesson Look Like?

For each lesson, there is a list of flashcards to pull out. Each flashcard has a picture on the front. The back lists the Spanish word and pronunciation, along with the English word. The cards are placed picture side up. As you listen to the CD, each word is introduced in English and Spanish.

The cards are also numbered, so it’s easy to find the ones you need to pull out for each lesson.

homeschool Spanish

Students are asked to touch the correct card when they hear its Spanish word. Because you’re only hearing the Spanish word and looking at the picture, the lessons teach your brain to think in Spanish.

Flip Flop Spanish review

After practicing the words, students use the cards to build sentences in Spanish. Older students are encouraged to keep a notebook and write out two or more of the sentences they build with the cards. This allows them to practice speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish and familiarizes them with Spanish grammar.

There are different activities peppered throughout the curriculum, such as Spanish Pictionary, hide-and-seek, and crossword puzzles. There is plenty of review – and even break weeks! – built into the curriculum.

Plus, there are invitations to email Señora Gose, the creator of the curriculum, if you have questions or get stuck. She really wants students to succeed with Spanish!

homeschool Spanish

See? Even la gata likes Flip Flop Spanish.

So, if you’re looking for a Spanish curriculum that’s easy to use and fun for all ages, check out Flip Flop Spanish. We can’t wait to dig into it more next school year! Be sure to check out some of their fun extras like a perpetual Spanish activity calendar and Spanish-English labels for objects around your home.

How to Ignite Your Child’s Passion for Reading

By Kris Bales

I’m a bookworm. I have loved to read as long as I can remember. Once, our school did a read-a-thon to raise money for a charity. My step-dad pledged $1/book (that was a lot of money back in the day) because he didn’t think I’d read that many books. It seems like the goal was 20 books per reader, and, of course, I read them all!

My step-dad later told me that he knew I’d do it. He just wanted to add a sense of challenge for me. That’s probably true.

ignite a passion for reading

I was the kid who always won an award for reading tons of books over the summer. I would lie on my bed, with my pet parakeet perched on the book nibbling the pages, and read for hours.

Of course, I didn’t have the television, video games, and the internet competing for my attention. Back in those days, there were only three channels (five if you could get the public broadcast channels to come in), and they were all showing soap operas all day long. (Confession: I was hooked on General Hospital during the Luke, Laura, and Scorpio years.)

So, how do you ignite a child’s passion for reading these days with so many electronic devices vying for their attention? My kids aren’t die-hard bookworms like I was (Seriously, you’d think I’d have at least one.), but they do enjoy reading. Even the dyslexic ones. It’s worth noting that it’s wrong to think that people with dyslexia don’t enjoy reading. They do; it’s just a slower, more challenging process for them.

Share Your Love of Reading

The most basic step in raising kids who love to read is to share your love of reading with them. I read to my babies before they were born. Yes, I was that mom who would read to her pregnant belly.

I’d lie in bed reading board books to the kids when they were infants. I introduced them to my favorite children’s books when they got a bit older. We went to Story Time at the library, and they chose their own books to bring home each week. (And usually to a fast-food place with a playground with friends afterward, so Story Time was always a highly anticipated event.)

ignite a passion for reading

Read bedtime stories to your kids. (Even when they’re older.) Let them see you read. Join kid-friendly book clubs or start a family book club. Have 20-30 minutes of silent reading time each day during which you all read (or look at picture books or wordless books) on your own. Yes, this means you, Mom.

Introduce Your Kids to a Variety of Genres

I have three kids, and they all have vastly different preferences when it comes to reading genre. My boy has always preferred non-fiction books. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel was one of the few picture books he’d sit still for as a kid. He always preferred fact-based books about trucks, cars, and military stuff.

One of my girls has loved Shakespeare since she was 15. She also devours manga and fantasy novels. The other girl likes stories and biographies. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series was what first got her hooked on reading.

Introduce your kids to a variety of genres so they can discover their favorites. A friend of mine used to have her kids choose at least one biography, one non-fiction, one fiction, and one book of poetry each time they visited the library. Those are some well-read young adults who were avid readers throughout their teen years.

Give Your Kids a Firm Foundation

Teaching a child to read is probably the single-most important skill you can give them. If a kid can read, he can learn about anything. One of the most critical aspects of teaching reading is keeping it fun. After you’ve shared your love of reading with your kids, you don’t want to ruin it by turning the activity into drudgery for them.

One resource that I keep hearing about over and over in the homeschooling community is Reading Eggs. Reading Eggs is web-based reading instruction designed for kids ages 2-13 that I wish had been around when my kids were learning to read.

It features games, songs, and rewards that have been carefully designed to engage kids and keep them motivated. Kids can access Reading Eggs on the web or a mobile device using the iOS or Android app. It’s perfect for today’s tech-savvy, screen-loving kids. I mean, seriously, my 4-year-old niece can navigate a tablet better than I can.

The Junior level uses games, songs, and videos to teach 2-4-year-olds pre-reading skills. Reading Eggs teaches 4-7-year-olds phonics, sight words, spelling, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Kids ages 7-13 can build on those skills with comprehension lessons, games, and an online library using Reading Eggspress.

Reading Eggs offers several affordable subscription levels, but from now until February 11, 2018, you can try it for free for 4 weeks. Just click through the link and sign up to get started!

What has worked well for you for inspiring a love of reading in your kids?

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